San Luis Obispo District Attorney (DA) announced no charges will be filed against the man who found SLO Police Chief's gun in a public bathroom.

Skeeter Carlos Mangan, 30 of Los Osos, was identified in surveillance footage as the suspect who took Chief Deanna Cantrell's .380 firearm that was accidentally left in the bathroom of El Pollo Loco on July 10, 2019.

"While the evidence in this case does support a misdemeanor charge of Penal Code section 485, after thoroughly considering all the circumstances, I have concluded that it would not be in the interest of justice to charge Mr. Mangan with a crime," District Attorney Dan Dow announced Saturday.

"It is my sincere hope that Mr. Mangan and other members of our community have learned from this widely publicized situation that failure to take immediate steps to find the rightful owner of lost property is a crime of theft under California law," said Dow.

Under California Penal Code section 485, failure to return lost property is a crime of theft. The statute reads as follows, "[o]ne who finds lost property under circumstances which give him knowledge of or means of inquiry as to the true owner, and who appropriates such property to his own use, or to the use of another person not entitled thereto, without first making reasonable and just efforts to find the owner and to restore the property to him, is guilty of theft."

Chief Cantrell issued an apology in a public video and has faced heavy criticism from the event. She was disciplined by the San Luis Obispo Police Department with a one-time $1,598 dock of pay equivalent to a two-day unpaid suspension and required gun safety training.

Dow went on to thank Sean Greenwood who recognized Mangan on social media posts as his brother-in-law and contacted police.

In a statement to KSBY-TV , Greenwood wrote after seeing the alert he immediately went to Mangan's house, located the firearm and unloaded and disassembled it. He also stated that he needed to explain the situation to Mangan as he has a mental disability.

“To understand [Mangan's] actions, you have to understand [Mangan's] mental health state… He is an extremely shy and quiet man and for him, verbalizing is difficult. Because [he], for the most part, is nonverbal, speaking with friends and family, holding a job and expressing his thoughts is an everyday struggle. He doesn’t have a cell phone or computer, nor does he have social media. Once he learned from me, the true owner of the firearm, he told me he wanted to bring it into the “cop shop”… I explained to him it would be better if I gave him a ride and helped him to explain to the detectives the situation, rather than him riding his mode of transportation, a scooter,” wrote Greenwood to KSBY.

"Mr. Greenwood's actions enabled the quick recovery of this lost firearm and prevented any further harm to come from this unfortunate situation. I consider Mr. Greenwood a 'Good Samaritan' whose actions set a positive example for others in our community," said Dow.

What this article left out was the charges that the SLO PD wanted to file against him: "grand theft of a firearm, possessing a loaded firearm in a public place, and burglary, each of which can be charged as felonies." -- https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/crime/article233974967.html ------ The audacity of this "Chief" is unreal. She is an absolute joke and the citizens of SLO should be concerned, as she is not fit to protect them.

To call the Good Samaritan finder of the weapon a "suspect" is ridiculous! The incompetence of the gun owner is incredible regardless of who she is. She should be prevented from ever possessing a gun in the future.

Who is "Dow?" Is that "Down?" If so, it's good to see the DA knew better than to prosecute a mentally challenged person who didn't know he was doing anything wrong and certainly not guilty of all the felony charges the lazy cops wanted to charge him with! SHAME on Chief Cantrell. It's a miracle (for her) that she still has a job.

That's good. Seems like a bunch of diversion from the real problem. The Police Chief left her gun laying around in public. This should be punishable by being demoted to a desk job, where she doesn't have the responsibility of a gun.

RHS-I am well aware of the Police Chiefs discipline. Or lack there of. It is extremely absurd that any police chief has to take a gun safety class. Shows a complete lack of ability to be in the lead position that she holds.

No Jury was ever going to convict him. They are trying to say its because he had disabilities but they know a losing case when they see it and did not want any more publicity. But they want to drive home the point they would have prosecuted you.
I find it interesting that it is a crime to find lost property and not seek the owner. So if you find a $5 dollar bill at the park and you do not seek the owner you are a thief under California law. What would you do?

GENERALTREE. I always pocket money when I find it on the ground/sidewalk. Pennies I put in my shoe for luck. Over the years I have found $220 (in a box where the owner wasn't known), $40 (wallet on the street), $100 (wallet on the beach). When the money is in a wallet I keep the cash and put the wallet in the mail box. No-one ever returned to me the $100 bill I dropped on the MTD bus (although I am pretty darn sure someone saw me drop it) and no-one ever returned my stolen bicycle or my lost silver bracelet to me. I figure it all evens out. It's silly when people find $10,000, turn it in and then are rewarded with pats on the back and $100. If someone found my $10,000 and got it back to me, I'd feel guilty sharing less than 1/2.